The sun was just slipping behind the horizon when Sage guided the speeder bike back into its proper place in the garage. She hesitated a moment, acknowledging the heavy weight upon her back and decided that she could not yet dismount the vehicle.
They'd only been about halfway back to the temple when the Knight had felt her Padawan cautiously lean forward and rest her cheek upon her clothed back, her thin arms wrapping more snuggly around her waist. Shortly after, the lull of sleep had clouded her mind but her Master was not angry - not in the slightest - for Sage knew how tiring working with the Force could be at times, especially in the early stages of learning.
Not to mention that the action had caused her stomach to pool with warmth. It would seem as though she was easily gaining the girl's trust, which she imagined was normally hard to come by, and it made her feel entirely satisfied.
Perhaps she wasn't so horrible at this Master thing.
She swore she heard a laugh then, a soft chuckle, coming from somewhere in the Force at those thoughts and she couldn't help herself when looked around, her brow furrowing softly in annoyance as she searched for the missing person. Or rather, missing entity.
Not that she'd actually ever seen or bared witness to one, a Force ghost, but at times, it felt as though the connection stretched beyond the Force and took a manifestation that always seemed to be just beyond her sight, always out of the corner of her eye. And she could never place an identity to such a presence that loomed around her.
She could sense it sometimes. Other times, it seemed more prominent than in different situations. For instance, when she was alone, perhaps strolling through the catacombs that made up the Jedi dwelling or when she was outside meditating by the sea. It was at its strongest then, when it was just her and the specter.
She was never afraid of it though, it's intentions seemed well enough. She sensed that it was of the Light and was benevolent; that in itself was enough to comfort her and put her mind at ease.
Another curious thing, though, was that, sometimes, she swore that there were two of them hanging around her, connected to her.
Sometimes teasing her. Laughing at her like one of them just had.
You laugh at my tiny sliver of self-assurance, she growled in her head at the presence, her eyes momentarily casting themselves around the shop in hopes of finding the spirit. How kind of you.
There was no answer in return but she nonetheless felt amusement trickle into the pressure around her. It caused her to wrinkle her nose in annoyance but then her stomach growled loudly and she decided that she would acknowledge the ghosts later and eat now. But, first, she needed to get her Padawan off her.
"Rey...?" She wiggled around slightly in an attempt to wake her. There was a soft sound and the warmth upon her back shifted position slightly. "We're back. Dinner is waiting for us."
This caused the girl to rouse herself more quickly from slumber, her chest expanding more fully as she sat up and breathed herself back into the world of the awakened, her arms untangling themselves from around the older girl's waist. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she sniffed slightly before raising slowly from the speeder and gingerly stepping off, her legs stiff after having not moved them during the lengthy journey.
"Go ahead and go inside. I just need to refuel and put the bike away." The brunette nodded sleepily and didn't protest, instead turning to walk towards the rock face across the way where the door to the dwelling sat, closed.
Sage was once more alone and she simply lingered on the bike a moment longer, her fingers falling to ghost over the controls on the panel before her. She reached out lightly into the surrounding area, allowing her eyes to fall half idled.
She touched at the Force with her mind and it in turn responded, almost eager to wrap her in its essence. Greeting it with the same love it gave her, she asked it to calm a bit after a beat, patting the back of an overenthusiastic, metaphorical hand that ached to grasp so tightly to her own at all times. Instead, she reached passed the initial wave of adoration and looked out into the void in search of the specter from before.
And all she truly found was disappointment, the very wisps of a presence teasing around her mind, always just out of reach, before it was gone.
Why do you always run? She wondered as her mind folded back in on itself.
She remained sitting there a brief moment longer before hunger once more prompted her to move.
Sliding off the bike, she pursed her lips as she grasped the handlebars and pushed the quietly humming bike deeper into the garage back to its original place. Opening a compartment on the rear of the bike, she picked up a nozzle and inserted it into the opening that led to the fuel tank. Then, approaching the fuel canister, she flipped a few switches and the pump inside the machine turned on.
And then she waited, patiently leaning on the old container as it began to hum louder.
Sage herself wasn't exactly the mechanic that her Master was but over the course of all their years together, she'd picked up a few things. Like how to care for the speeder bike, the old transport down in the cave hanger, and the Marksman droids but that was simply because she was the cause for their need of repair most times.
Other than that, she had a rather limited knowledge of mechanics and other sorts of technical work as such.
Maybe in another life, one where she hadn't been accepted into Master Luke's academy, things would have been entirely different. She'd be back at home on Beheboth, sand as far as the eye could see and surrounded by her ever growing family. She would have no doubt been a moisture farmer as well, would have inherited the job from her father when she was old enough. And she'd know how to fix all sorts of things.
But, that was not the case.
She was a Jedi Knight now, had been for a long time. Almost 10 years. And it was certainly difficult to see her life any other way.
Even still, something in her mind whispered that this was the only option, how it always would have been. All paths in her life would have led her here; to Master Luke, to the Jedi, and to the Light. This had been the universe's plan for her all along, the Cosmic Force's plan. This was where she belonged.
Soon enough though, she was pulled from her thoughts, the sensor on the bike beeping to tell her the tank was full and ready for their next trip which would no doubt be in a few days, maybe even earlier. She would have to talk with the Master Skywalker. before she made her next move.
Untying her back from before, she slung it up onto her back and then replaced the tarp over the speeder. The lights in the garage were just starting to flicker on because of the ever approaching nightfall and on her way out, she waved her hand and the lights resumed their state of hibernation until someone else came out into the little alcove.
Her eyes shot open as she sat up in her bed, the covers that had once been pulled up to her chin tumbling down to pool over her lap.
Sage was silent as she sat there for a moment, eyes scanning the nearly empty room around her, finding that everything appeared to be in its proper place. Nothing was out of order.
A few datapads lay on the small desk, their screens dark with disuse. One of the various journals kept in a box was opened to the last page that she'd been reading. There were a number of her favorite books lined on a metal shelf hooked into the wall. Her old, woolly Ewok plushie rested on the end of the bookshelf, his little, red hood faded with time and a blank space where one of his button eyes were missing.
Holding her breath, she listened to the instilled quiet in the dwelling, waiting. For a moment, all seemed as it should, the almost nonexistent buzz of the power generator filling the empty void of silence.
So, why had she awoken? What was so important that was roused from a peaceful night of sleep by her subconscious?
Through the grogginess in her mind, she reached outwards, first to her Master's room. His own signature was quiet and serene with slumber, as usual. She mentally searched his own private quarters and found that everything was normal as well.
Then, she reached further then, down the hall, and found the reason of her awakening.
Her covers flew across the room as she threw them off. Not even stopping to get dressed, Sage was snatching her lightsaber from her nightstand before she was flying out the open door and into the hall, her bare feet pounding on the hard stone as she raced towards the disturbance in the Force. Something dark seemed to be bubbling from inside her student's quarters, the flux boiling and searing against her mind the closer she got.
Throwing her hand out, she nearly ripped the door from the wall with the Force as she caused the mechanics to open without using the controls so that she could step inside.
The immeasurable amount of fear caused her to take a step back for a moment, her hands raising as if they could block out some of the negative emotions buffeting her. It physically hurt, this fear did, Rey's fear did; clawing and burning at Sage as it threatened to consume her for a moment.
However, when she heard her Padawan whimpering, her palm was connecting with the light switch and the room was then entirely bathed in white light, her mind shoving back against the fear coiling around her only to send it reeling back at the younger girl.
"Rey?" It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness inside but when she did, the blonde felt her cheeks pale. The young girl didn't rouse from sleep, her entire body writhing and twisting on the bed, her hands gripping the sheets tightly. She was sweating profusely, her chest heaving and tears streaming down her face while her eyes were clamped shut. "Rey?!"
Sage tried calling her name again but to no avail, as if she were caught in the clutches of some greater power.
Striding across the room, she threw herself down on the edge of the bed near the girl's head. Placing her saber off to the side, she reached for the young brunette but as she did so, she recoiled away from her as if Sage were the source of fear.
"Rey!" The Knight called again, crawling across the bed so that she could snag one of the girl's wrists as it suddenly flailed out to hit her. "You need to wake up!"
Struggling with her a moment longer, the blonde had to fight to pin down her Padawan beneath her, using her superior strength to hold her down long enough so that she could splay her hand across her forehead.
And then she stilled for a moment before she was coming to, her eyes wide with fear. She panicked for a moment, the foreign weight of her mentor atop her startling her, causing her to struggle beneath her and for a moment, the Jedi wondered if she was still partially under the influence of the strange spell. Her hazel eyes were distant and fearful, as if she were seeing through Sage instead of looking directly at her.
She was suddenly being shoved off the young pilot so that she tumbled back onto the foot of the bed, the younger girl's strength momentarily catching the Knight off guard.
Then, she was scrambling away, out from underneath the blankets and darting across the room.
Sage was instantly climbing to her feet as well, untangling herself from the covers so that she could cut her off. In such a state of sleep walking or whatever one could call this occurrence, her student needed to be contained. It wouldn't due to let her run about in the huge dwelling were she could no doubt hurt herself.
For a moment, the Jedi hesitated, knowing that she had very few options to keep her from escaping without harming her.
She could simply grab her and tackle her to the ground, however, that could be rather traumatizing for her, as if how she pinned her down earlier wasn't enough evidence. Sage could also just wait for her to come out of the state she was in, which could take hours and still, she could lash out at the Knight and hurt herself in an attempt to escape. Her last and most favored option was to simply use the Force.
Taking a steadying breath, she raised her arm and opened her palm, her eyes full of remorse for having to do such things to her student but it was for her own benefit.
Rey was immediately rigid as Sage carefully held her in place, tendrils of the Force reaching out from her palm to keep her still.
When she realized that she was restrained, this seemed to cause the scavenger to panic even more. Hot tears still seemed to streak down her face and she began to cry out, "NO! NO! PLEASE!" as she fought against the invisible restraints.
"You're okay, Rey!" The other female told her, her hand still raised as the Force continued to hold her in place. Sage began to move forward then, her steps purposefully slowed so that she did not further scare the brunette.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She sobbed, her body physically shaking as she struggled against the bonds that cradled her. She seemed to be becoming more fearful the closer the Jedi got.
When she was only a short distance away, Rey continued to cry but she was still looking at Sage with such fear and hate that it caused her to pause in her actions for a moment. This was no normal nightmare, she concluded. Every emotion seemed too real, too raw.
After a moment of contemplation, she surged forward anyway and cradled the girl's face in her hands.
The scavenger physically flinched and let out a shout of pain, struggling so hard to trying to pull out of the woman's grasp but it was futile because only a moment later, she was growing silent. The blonde had pushed through into her mind and for a moment, she was consumed with all the emotions raging inside the girl's head.
It physically pained Sage to continue to stand there, touching her Padawan.
The darkness lingering around Rey's person was responding to the Light that burned brightly inside of the Jedi, snapping and clawing at the inferno she had so carefully tended all those years. And then it was pulling Sage, dispelling the Light like it was nothing and dragging her away from the brightness and into the void of Darkness. It felt like it was devouring her, tearing her apart and feasting upon her very essence. She gritted her teeth but couldn't stop the whimper of anguish as the stabbing coursed through all her nerve endings.
Now she understood the raw, all too real emotions from before. It was terrifying.
Something was wrong. Something was there. This was not Rey's mind. Something had been toying with the girl's subconscious just as Sage arrived. Someone was there.
A link?
In her subconscious, she reached back towards the Light, her fingers splayed wide as she desperately grabbed at it. And just when she feared she was out of reach, the blackness nearly swallowing her, a hand emerged from the Light and grasped hold of her wrist, gripping her and pulling her back towards the brightness, burning away the dark tendrils that had begun to curl around her body.
She grit her teeth as she was drug back out of the shadows, her hand fisted in the back of Rey's metaphorical shirt so that she was pulled along with her, Sage's shoulders burning as they were threatened to be pulled from their sockets.
Sage inhaled deeply as she was hurled to the surface, back to the Light where it instantly swarmed around her and enveloped her in its grasp like a parent clinging to their once lost but now found child. The Force itself seemed to seethe as it cradled her in its clutches, ever the protector, the Darkness retreating back into Rey's mind where it continued to fester.
When she was able to regain most of her senses as she fell back into her own mind, which had been muted by the blackness, she found that they had both somehow remained upright despite what had just occurred.
Her hands remained on the girl's face and she took a moment to straighten herself out. For now, Rey was quiet but she still stared unseeingly through her Master.
Taking another deep breath, she took a moment to ground herself, to pull the Light to her. It spiraled and curled around her, providing an armor of sorts for the fight that was no doubt about to ensue. She had been caught unawares last time, unprotected and without a weapon. But now, she was bathed in the burning Light around her, strong and unstoppable.
So, she delved back in, bearing her lightsaber in her mind, the turquoise beacon in the darkness, as she cut through the shadows. It seemed to hiss and spit at her as she struck at it, scorching it and causing it to evaporate.
It attempted to retaliate, to swing back at her and devour her once more but Sage was too strong for the Darkness now, too ingrained with goodness, and it fell easily under her saber until there was nothing left but the gray matter in Rey's mind.
Afterwards, she simply remained a moment longer, the constant hum from the weapon in her palm calming her once frantic heart and mind.
Rey? She called out quietly into the void around her, touching at the now quiet subconscious.
All was still for a moment before there was a gentle caress back, an acknowledgement of the older girl's presence before Sage was retreating back into her own mind.
When she opened her eyes, she was met with a pair of hazel irises, a hint of fear still lingering in the depths yet all together awake and responsive to the real world. The true Rey stood before her now, not the poor, terrified creature from before. She seemed infinitely more calm than she had before.
"Sage?" She breathed right back, her voice hoarse from the crying she'd been doing. Her own hands rose and gripped the wrists attached to the hands on her face as a means to ground her mind and make sure that this was indeed real.
"You're okay..." The blonde sighed, her shoulders sagging with relief.
"What's going on?" Just then, Skywalker himself was appearing in the doorway, his own brow furrowed in concern when his eyes landed on the two females who stood so close together. He had no doubt sensed the ripple of terror himself and no doubt the spike of worry that Sage's own mind had been nearly shouting as she ran down the hall.
"I was having a nightmare." Rey said quietly after a moment, her body quivering for a moment as she looked between the Jedi, bits and pieces of the dream coming back to her.
"And that is all it was... a nightmare." The blonde told her gently, her hands falling from her sweaty, tear-drenched cheeks as she took a step back. "There is nothing here that can harm you."
Together, they stood like that for a few minutes, Rey visibly shaken while her eyes were distant as the scenes replayed in her head; Sage moved to the edge of the bed and sat there, watching her carefully.
The blonde shared a look with her Master for a moment, sensing that an opportunity was about to present itself to her.
I'll handle this, Master. She told him wordlessly through their bond, the words slipping easily into his mind. He simply gave her a small nod of his head before he was returning to his own chambers, his footsteps quiet on the stone flooring of the corridor.
After he left, it took along while before Rey calmed slightly, the female Jedi on the bed releasing some soothing, healing energy through the Force into her Padawan in hopes of restoring some semblance of peace to her mind.
"Are you okay?" The blonde asked quietly, her brow furrowing softly in concern.
"I'm fine." Rey insisted from where she stood across the room, her arms hugged around her thin frame. Not enjoying the heavy weight of the watchful gaze of the lady Knight, she turned her back on her and approached the small dresser in the room, her old staff resting on the top of it, "I'm going be fine."
It sounded she was more or less trying to convince herself rather than Sage of her words.
"Do you... wish to talk about it...?"
Rey was quiet for a long while, having neglected to give her a proper answer. A few awkward moments of silence passed before Sage decided to leave, her weight shifting as she prepared to stand. People dealt with things differently, she knew. Sometimes, they needed to be alone while others needed company and comfort. She couldn't really tell what Rey wanted from her so she decided to just go with her gut instinct and flee while she had the chance.
"I was back on Starkiller." It was then the brunette decided to speak, stilling the older girl's actions. "Han was dead. Finn was dead. Kylo Ren was coming after me and I... I couldn't stop him." She whispered.
Sage frowned softly, "Has this happened before? The nightmares, I mean?"
She paused for a long moment, her hands reaching out and lightly touching the old staff, "Everyday since the fight on the base." She admitted quietly, "Except for last night."
The Knight sighed softly before sliding from the bed, her hand rising so that she could scratch her head and then tangle her fingers into her own thick hair in contemplation. "I wouldn't dwell too much on it, Padawan. It was only a dream, nothing more. It will come to pass." She crossed the room and was just about to step out the door and click the lights off. "Sleep well."
"Wait!"
Sage stopped walking when the younger girl called after her. Slowly turning back around, she looked at the brunette and found that she had turned around and was looking at her, the same anxiety radiating off of her from before, her hazel eyes wide with uncertainty. The wave of fear was almost nauseating to Sage, for it was so potent as it hung in the air around them.
She wasn't used to feeling fear so often and whole-heartedly, even if it wasn't her own emotion. For a moment, she considered assembling a wall and shutting the girl's emotions out entirely but then something inside her reminded her of her duty to the younger female. That she was her Master and teacher. Her protector.
I won't let anything happen to you.
The words seemed to suddenly carry a bitter taste with them and despite having spoken that exact phrase that very same day, the voice that now said them was not her own.
The image of a toothy grin and dark hair flashed behind her eyes before it was quickly gone.
"Will you... stay with me?" Rey asked quietly, awkwardly rubbing her arm as she slightly caved in on herself. "At least until I fall back asleep? I'm scared that... that it'll be back."
For a moment, the blonde hesitated in the doorway, looking back down the long hallway towards her own room. Then, she turned back, her lips pursing slightly and she nodded her head before shutting the door behind her as she moved back into the room and sat on the bed once more.
Propping herself up against the stone wall, Sage leaned back and had her legs stretched out before her, taking a moment to shift around until she was comfortable. Then, she patted the space beside her twice and the brunette sent her a questioning look from across the room before she slowly approached the bed, her restless body now calm and the sweat on her face, dry.
Picking the covers up from where they rested on the floor, she climbed back onto the mattress and pulled the blankets up over her. Once settling herself, she closed her eyes and snuggled further into the worn, wool blankets.
Raising her hand towards the wall, Sage activated the light switch so that the room was darkened once more, the moonlight filtering in through the tiny pores of the sun filter, offering them a tiny hint of light that spilled down onto the foot of the bed.
And Sage simply sat there, all the while engulfing her student in a gentle wave of calm to help her get to sleep easier.
With the comfort of another living being warming and soothing her mind, it only took a few minutes for the young pilot to fall away into slumber, with just a flicker of assistance from the older woman, and the ripples in her mind soothed and the flux was serene as it should be.
She waited for a long while, her eyes staring unseeingly at the wall ahead of her as she practiced her patience. Sage kept her senses alert and sharp, keeping herself prepared for the inevitable return of the darkness that was plaguing her student. And somehow, she just knew exactly who was doing the plaguing. And that he never gave up so easily.
She didn't have to wait very long.
It was shortly after all the ripples had smoothed from the surface of her Padawan's mind that she felt it; the probe, the tightening of the line in the brunette's mind that alerted her of the new presence.
And soon, Rey was whimpering again, her brow furrowing deeply and her chest began to heave once more. The fear was thick in the room once more but Sage threw up a mental block around the perimeter of the room to contain the emotions so as to not alert Master Luke of any new threats. She just watched for a moment as the young scavenger twisted uncomfortably, sweat beading on her bow once more.
Hold. She reminded herself as the brunette's once soft cries crew louder. Let him take the bait.
For a moment, Sage was startled when she suddenly found the girl clutching at her, her head on her thigh and her fingers fisting into the soft fabric of the Knight's sleep pants. It was almost as if this time she was reaching for the Light instead of shying away from it before. However, after a moment of recovering from the initial shock, the older girl gently rested her hand on Rey's head and began to gently stroke the silky tendrils she found there, offering what small comfort she could.
After a few more moments of waiting, she stilled her hand and breathed in deeply before shut her eyes, allowing her own mind to carefully brush against Rey's subconscious, gradually allowing pressure so as to not alert the girl of her presence. And then, all at once, she slipped in, fully undetected, her intent sharp as she sought out the intruder lingering in the dark recesses of the young girl's dreams, her own eyes darkening with steely determination.
The cold air stung at his skin through his clothes but he didn't care, something akin to delight tightening in his chest as he ran through the dark forest.
His saber glowed scarlet in the dim light, brightening the surrounding trees as he raced through them, feet carrying him easily through the twilight wood over the snowy ground.
He could feel the girl ahead of him easily enough, the Force flowing through him and reaching out, chasing after her just as he physically was.
She would not escape this time, no, this was his dream turned her nightmare. He controlled the thoughts that flowed between their link, her own abilities eclipsed by the power of his own. No, he was the one who choose how this dream was going to end. And this time, there would be no ravine to save her, to separate them so that she could flee with the traitor in the Falcon.
He already lay dead back on the snow covered ground, smoke still rising from the burns seared into his skin through his clothes.
He'd already gone through the motions once tonight, on the boundless chase after the girl as she raced away from him. He had just been about to step towards her to strike her down when she'd somehow broken from the grip he had on her and fled back into the world of reality, leaving him alone in the icy forest with his saber crackling loudly in the now silent wood.
Yet, here she was, asleep once more and susceptible enough to his invasion.
He could see her just ahead now, arms pumping furiously as she fought to keep the distance between them, his grandfather's lightsaber clutched tightly in her hand as she fled for her life. She was no match against him in his dreams so she'd picked the alternative and ran.
The thrill of the hunt boiled in his veins, a dark, rather smug smile pulled his lips back beneath the mask he wore, for he had saw in her mind that she was that much more afraid of him while he wore it. It made him seem less human, more like the desired monster that he had strived to achieve. More like Darth Vader.
Throwing his hand out, he lashed out with the Force and caught hold of her.
She cried out in surprise, now caught in his snare, and tumbled to the ground, all the while fighting against the invisible grip that had taken hold of her body. He could feel how she grasped at the nearly nonexistent tie she held to the Force, prayed to it, asked it to set her free, and to be rid of the demon hunting her.
His pace slowed to a steady walk, he no longer needed to rush things as he had before; he already had her in his grasp. Now, he could play.
The snow beneath his boots crunched quietly as he made his way towards her, a shadow ghosting through the dark ever closer, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He was playing on her deepest fears; on her anxiety of helplessness and isolation.
She was terribly afraid of dying alone and he knew it, too. He'd made sure that she was all alone.
He could see her through the trees now, how she writhed and struggled uselessly against the bonds that held fast to her slim figure. He could feel her terror and while it made him stronger, it did the opposite for her. If anything, her fear was making her weaker, the Light so evident in her before now dwindling away to be consumed by the Darkness of her anxiety.
He rounded the final tree that separated the two of them, his wrist twisting his saber twisting absentmindedly. Oh, how he relished in the strangled little cries she made as she struggled, how they echoed off the surrounding trees and broke the silence.
However, he stalled in his tracks when he came around the corner to look at the scavenger girl and was instead met with the sight of a tall cloaked figure standing between the two of them, the person's back towards him with their head bowed slightly.
The fear coming from the girl seemed to quiet too as her hazel eyes looked up at the new figure, hope and relief blooming in her eyes almost as if in recognition.
For a moment, he himself was afraid, thinking perhaps he'd been caught unawares by Skywalker. By his uncle.
However, the figure then turned and looked directly at him, the fierce look of the blue eyes that seemed to glow dimly from the depths of the deep-set hood over its head.
It caught him entirely off guard.
The light from his saber bathed the area in a sharp, red glow, illuminating half of the figure's face while the rest was obstructed from view by the hood. But, he didn't need to see the whole face to know who it was that stood before him.
It was not Skywalker.
He sucked in a sharp breath and felt his eyes widen beneath his mask. This is some trick.
And then the figure's aura hit him fully and he stumbled back a few steps from the sheer force that seemed to emanate from the figure. It was so powerful, so raw. His own skin felt hot, almost burnt, from the Light he felt radiating from the cloaked being. It seared at him, nearly consuming him like an inferno as it ate at the Darkness lingering in his soul.
Could this truly be...? No.
The Force signature was entirely too different, so much stronger than he last encountered, than he last remembered. However, as when he took a moment to delve slightly deeper, there was an inkling of what it had been before, what it used to be when...
Skywalker is taunting me. Haunting me with her. He took in a shuddering breath and risked a small step closer before he stopped. This isn't real. She is just a ghost.
However, another part of his mind whispered sweet nothings in his other ear. Perhaps it was your own subconscious that dreamed her up.
Yes, he rather enjoyed that thought.
Despite that, at the sight of her, he felt his grip falter on his saber. The blade sheathed itself with a hiss and he felt his leather clad fingers loosen their hold on the hilt so that it fell to the ground and landed in the snow by his boot.
His chest was heaving as he continued to stand there, the entire situation bearing down upon him and he felt his chest tighten once more, not with delight in the hunt but from something else. Something far more foreign. Something he hadn't felt for a long time.
His mouth opened with the want to speak, to say something, anything to her. Taking another shaky step forward, he swallowed thickly and raised his arm, not to attack or any such thing. But, to reach out to her, to offer his hand to her in hopes that she would take it.
This was his dream after all; he was the one feeding the nightmare into Rey's mind. He had control here. This dream would go as he wished.
The throbbing hiss of a lightsaber cut through the silent forest, causing him to flinch back in fear. This was not what he wanted. This was not what he wished.
The blue glow from her blade lit up the area once more, a stark contrast to the blood red that had painted the pale snow before. The deep azure ignited the gunmetal blues of her own eyes and he was sure the sight would haunt him for the rest of his existence. Maybe even then, some.
He briefly glanced at the saber hilt and felt his breath catch at the familiar sight of it. It was the old one that had been gifted to her from Skywalker. Kenobi's.
And then she was throwing her hand out and grasping at his own mind.
He grit his teeth as she forcefully shoved her way inside, having met very little resistance either way, and tightened the line inside his mind to the point where it was painful. He lurched forward a step as she dug into his mind, sunk her talons into him as she began to move through his thoughts.
He was vaguely aware that Rey disappeared, as did the trees around them. And suddenly, the entire landscape was melting away, leaving nothing but blackness around them. Blackness and an ache simmering in the center of his chest.
He woke with a strangled gasp, his body shooting upright in bed as he was hurled back into his own subconscious, shoved back into his own dreams and mind without an ounce of remorse. For a moment, his head throbbed and he hissed aloud in pain, his hands fisting in his dark hair as the sight of the blue saber lighting up the night continued to burn behind his eyelids.
His chest was heaving and he found that he had broken out in a cold sweat, the chill in the room evident on his damp skin given that the covers on his bed had fallen and pooled around his hips.
Taking a moment to regain his bearings, he calmed his mind - it's only a dream - but a vivid dream no less. After taking a moment to collect himself, his head slowly turned towards the open doorway across the room, his dark eyes staring out at the open space of his front living quarters. And he felt something akin to paranoia prickle beneath his skin.
Not taking a moment to hesitate, he was throwing the covers aside and slipping from the warmth of his bed, bare chested and barefoot.
The lights in the room flickered on, dimmed to a lower setting due to the late hour on the chronometer, as he moved through his quarters, his stride quick and long as if he was being driven forward by a strange, new madness.
Even from the dinning area, he could see the silver canister in its proper place above the mantel of his gas fireplace. Still, he needed to make sure to properly calm his mind. He marched down the few steps to the living space and for a moment, all he did was stare at the weapon through its glass case before he was throwing the lid open with a jerk of his wrist and the Force, the lock coming undone automatically as it sensed his unique signature.
He was then reaching inside and grasping hold of the saber and pulling it free so that he could examine it. He expected - no, wanted - the metal to be warm from the grip of its owner but, with disappointment creeping into his system, he found that it was cold, almost icy in his palms. Free of the touch of a living creature for years.
Pursing his lips and frowning softly down at it, his thumb ghosted over the igniter switch, wishing to once more see the deep blue glow in hopes of bringing forth memories of her.
Feeling courage grow in his chest after a few quiet moments, he gently pressed down and waited for the familiar throbbing sound and then the hiss... but it never came. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised in slightest.
He'd never been able to make it work. And he probably never would.
Still, he had held onto that inkling of hope for a moment, only to find himself disappointed once more. The feeling of defeat caused rage to bloom rapidly in his chest, the sharp sting of losing her burned in his blood anew once more.
He wanted to lash out, destroy everything in sight in unbridled despair. But, he didn't.
He didn't throw her lightsaber across the room like he wished to; his hand simply flexed around the hilt, fingers dancing across the ribbed handgrip for a moment before he reached back up and placed it back into the glass box in the display stand before he shut the lid with a click.
Simply standing in his living space for a moment, he took note of the uncomfortable feeling of the salt of his sweat drying on his skin. A good washing would help him, he decided, help him to relax and clear his mind. However, after stripping down and standing under the nearly scalding water raining down from above, he found that she would not leave his mind.
He could not deny the ache in his heart as he leaned against the wall, the cool tiles pressing into his face, his dark eyes staring unseeingly at the glass wall separating the shower from the rest of the refresher.
Even still, later, after he had expended all his hot water, she plagued his thoughts as he sat upon his bed, back against his headboard while his pillows surrounded him. And he had closed his eyes then and reached out, searched the Force for her spirit.
However, just like he had been with the saber, he was unsuccessful in his endeavors. For a long time, he'd probed for her, wishing - hoping - that she could somehow manifest herself and come to him just once.
But then again, she'd always dwelt in the Light and here he was, sitting in the consuming Darkness. Of course she would never come to him.
Still, he lay back down upon his bed and pulled the covers so that they were wrapped tight against him. For a long while, he just lay there, dark eyes half idled while he stared at the low glow of the distant planet outside the ship's window, traitorous thoughts swirling through his head.
Finally, he felt fatigue plague him once more and his eyes burned with the want to sleep every time he blinked. And slumber did appeal to him, now more than it ever had before. The thought of tormenting the helpless scavenger girl was now far less appealing when he could instead spend his nights dreaming about her.
About his Sage.
This chapter, for some reason, was difficult to write. Took me longer than normal to do, not because of the Kylo scenes but simply because of the fact that I wasn't sure how I wanted to build up to that point.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this.
There is definitely going to be more interaction between the two of them in the coming chapter or so before it's going to return most to Rey's training for just a short bit. And then, things are going to get interesting. Very, very interesting.
Thanks to all who reviewed and favorited/followed!
Love,
Blue